A versatile musician, Mr. Hicks often led the music ministry at Hope Chapel. The congregation will join in singing a “Sanctus’’ he composed as part of the Communion liturgy in his funeral service Tuesday.

“He was a great musician with an amazing ear,’’ Carlisle said of Mr. Hicks, who would play and sing at Zumi’s Café, not far from where he lived in Ipswich. “He played everything from old Irish ballads to classics to modern songs. If he knew it, he tried to play it, and he usually did it well.’’

Born in Boston, Mr. Hicks was the second of four siblings and grew up in Dorchester.

Perhaps because illnesses cordoned off parts of ordinary childhood, Mr. Hicks conveyed a maturity and knowledge beyond his years.

“I think ever since Josh was little he had a sense of who God was and who Jesus was,’’ said his mother, Rosetta (Richardson) Hicks of South Euclid, Ohio. “People used to say, ‘Has this kid ever lived before? Has he been on this earth before? He seems older than he really is.’ And that’s when he was 3 years old.’’

Because of his allergies and asthma, he stayed inside more than most children. He taught himself to play guitar and he read extensively. Sensitivities to food prompted him to learn to cook, and he was less territorial than most children about belongings.

“When he was 8, I had to tell him, ‘Josh, you realize you don’t have to share anything,’ ’’ his mother said. “And he looked at me and said, ‘I don’t?’ I said, ‘It’s important to save something special for yourself, or you won’t have anything.’ ’’

He went to school in Brookline, briefly in Newton, and graduated from Quincy High School. Along with guitar, Mr. Hicks took violin lessons and played a little bass and drums.

“He got very involved with the music of the church, and I think that created more of a sense of worship, it became more tangible for him,’’ said his father, Geoffrey.